Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
Michael Carter-Williams is questionable to play in the team’s next game and could miss his second consecutive outing. (NBA.com) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we preview the Charlotte Hornets‘ game against the Indiana Pacers while also looking at a possible trade for Avery Bradley and Kemba Walker unlikely to land with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Hornets @ Pacers prediction (SportsChatPlace.com)
"The Hornets will be eager to make amends after blowing a 15-point lead against the Heat on Saturday, but they’ve won just six of their first 20 road games and are up against a red-hot Pacers team who continue to find ways to win."
Although we are already more than halfway through the NBA season, this will be the first of four meetings between these two sides.
Indiana has won three of their last four games and is 5-1 in their last six home games. They weren’t expected to be a playoff team before the season started but with Victor Oladipo playing at an all-star/MVP level at times, he’s carried them to a surprisingly good year. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will most likely be the primary defender on Oladipo so it will be interesting to see if he can slow him down.
Considering Charlotte’s struggles away from home this season, it’s hard to pick them in almost any road game. If Steve Clifford can’t trust Malik Monk or Julyan Stone to backup Kemba and makes Walker play the entire second half again or play more than 40 minutes, I can’t see the Hornets winning. This should be a comfortable victory for the home team.
Pistons make Avery Bradley available (ESPN.com)
"The Detroit Pistons have made starting shooting guard Avery Bradleyavailable in trade talks, league sources told ESPN. So far, Detroit’s asking price for Bradley is significant, league sources said."
Avery Bradley is on the trade block and a number of teams are expected to be interested in the 27-year old. Even though he is having a bit of a down season, the 6’2 guard is still one of the top two-way players in the league. OKC seems like the likely landing spot for Avery after they lost Andre Roberson who was their starting shooting guard and best perimeter defender for the rest of the season.
Although Charlotte hasn’t been linked to Bradley, Rick Bonnell pointed out that Steve Clifford is a fan of the Pistons’ guard. If the Hornets really wanted to improve their team and make a push for the playoffs, trading for Avery would be a good starting point. It would be difficult to work out a deal but it’s worth noting that Detroit was reportedly interested in Kemba Walker.
Kemba to Minnesota trade unlikely (Twitter/ @DWolfsonKSTP)
"Charlotte doesn’t want to take on Teague’s contract. If they move Walker, they are looking for a ton. Doesn’t sound like much is churning on the #Twolves trade front. Maybe things change closer to Feb. 8."
Next: Two Nic Batum trades that may be crazy enough to work
Unless the T-Wolves are willing to give up multiple first-round picks or take on one of Charlotte’s larger salaries, it’s unlikely that they will be able to land Walker. The Hornets wouldn’t be interested in a straight swap involving Jeff Teague. Minnesota could use a top-tier point guard but it doesn’t look like Kemba is the answer for them considering Charlotte’s understandably high asking price.